Chapter 57
**Omniscient POV**
**CIA Headquarters Langley, Virginia.**
A mid-level member of cyber security sits slouched against his chair, legs extended and crossed with his shoes propped on the edge of his desk, talking to his colleague with carefree nonchalance.
"Did you make the updates on the software security patches?"
He rolls his eyes at her check-ups. "Yesterday already. Could you at least pretend to treat me like a person who's hyper-competent? Seeing that I've worked here longer than you have."
"That's not a flex," she retorts. "Not when you should have been promoted to a higher clearance rank years ago."
"You know what, Lauren. You're just—"
An ominous red notification flashes on his screen, stealing his attention to the strobing alarm, alerting of him of a cyber breach. He snaps straight, feet dropping to the floor. Not even bothering to excuse himself, he rolls closer to the screen, accessing the terminal. When he tries to locate what clandestine files were compromised; he's shut out—insufficient clearance. What he can sustain is that the status is Black Ops—Specialised Forces—Covert Operations Direct Action Espionage High-value target, Raiding Targeted Killing, Special Operations Unconventional Warfare.
He snatches the phone linked to the landline, calling the operator that will patch him to the Deputy Director. When she answers, he declares his rank, and she connects him to the Deputy.
"Cohen."
"Deputy Director, sir." His voice growing feverish with every word. "I know there's a chain of command to report to, but I thought you would want to hear this directly, sir. It's pretty bad," becoming more hysterical, he says, "I can't believe the detection system didn't pick it up sooner, the upgrades were refurbished with sophisticated—"
"Just spit it out, son."
"A cyber intrusion, sir. An unauthorized third partly remotely accessed our encrypted network and snuck past reinforced barricades. That's how they were able to not trigger the internal system's sensors—"
"They wouldn't risk federal imprisonment just to peep. What did they take?"
"I sealed the leak, but they pilfered twelve terabytes of classified information, all on an Operation: Marathon. Nothing else."
A strenuous silence ensues before the Deputy speaks up again. "Could you pinpoint the origin of the hack?"
"The signal bounced around the globe, obscured by routing data through a secondary system, mimicking a proxy server. But I manage to isolate the frequency and backtrack the IP to Germany. I'm confident that I can narrow down the location, sir."
"In the meantime, I'll dispatch a grab team. I'll have them in the air, flying dark within an hour."
The Deputy Director hangs up. He steeples his fingers in fervent thought, desperately trying to assemble his scattered thoughts. Decisive, he pulls open the top draw to retrieve his private phone. And dials the only contact on it.
After a few rings...
"I'm calling from a secure line," he appraises, "we have a problem. Cyber breach, an unknown entity stole files on Marathon. Whoever they are, they'll be within our custody in seventy-two hours, I assure you. We'll rendition them, see what they know and who else wants to know."
"Do that." Their gravelly voice like volcanic rocks grinding together. "Neutralize all threats once you extracted what you needed. I don't have to warn you about the consequences that will arise if even a shred of truth about that Operation was exposed."
"It won't be, sir. I'm sending in my best team. Commander Acheson will bring them in, quietly."
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